Gospel: John 16: 5-11
Jesus promises us the gift of the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, who will guide us in all truth and convict the world of sin. We have first been given the words and deeds of Jesus as our model of faith. The Beatitudes and the criteria of Judgment in Matthew 25 serve as bookends of the Gospel, and what is in between are the deeds of Jesus - deeds of healing, deliverance, and feeding of people that he undertook wherever he went in his ministry.
The Spirit now guides us in our own lives in carrying out these deeds of healing, delivering, and feeding. Who in our life and world need to be healed in body and soul? Who needs help in being freed from the demons that oppress them? Who is in need of food, drink, clothing, shelter, and welcome in our world? The Spirit helps us to discern where these needs are and how to carry out this work in our own time and situations.
The Spirit also convicts the world of its sin in creating these conditions of neglect, bondage, and want. Through the deeds of mercy we perform, the Spirit provides that condemnation of the world's cruelty and selfishness by our deeds of love and care. This conflict is our life in the world, but we have the consolation of the Spirit to sustain us in this work of love and mercy, and to endure the hatred of the world.
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